Spring Daze seeks vendors

For each of the last three years, the first week of May brought the ECHO Chainsaw Sculpting Invitational to the Chair City in conjunction with Spring Daze. This year, Spring Daze will take center stage on E. Main Street, where it will once again be the primary attraction May 4.
Planning and preparation for the 10th annual event is already under way.
"It's a great milestone for us," Thomasville Beautification Committee Chairperson Carol Brown said of the 10th anniversary. "The reason we started Spring Daze was to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of the Beautification Committee. It was commissioned by the city council in 1988. It has grown every year and has never seen a setback."
Mark Scott, director of Thomasville Tourism, has been a faithful partner of Spring Daze and was instrumental in recruiting chainsaw sculpting to the Triad. This year, the chainsaws will not return to the Chair City.
Instead, the sculpting invitational will move to Greensboro — closer to the home of Randy Everett, who organizes the event and resides in Colfax. Scott looks forward to focusing on the elements that brought Spring Daze to Thomasville in the first place. Gardening, landscaping and sunshine will be among the focal points of the festival.
"I'm excited about it. It will get a chance to be front and center again," Scott said. "There was a faithful core who attended the first few Spring Daze events and I think the chainsaw sculpting really brought more attention to the event."
Featured as a point of interest will be a lecture seminar by Toby Bost, author of "North Carolina's Gardening Guide." Bost will speak about the practices of successful gardeners, eco-friendly landscapes and offer a question-and-answer segment on plant clinics. He will be joined by Adrienne Roethling, garden curator at Paul J. Ciener Botanical Gardens in Kernersville, as they give tips on how to ensure the most attractive landscape for Thomasville homeowners.
Local favorite Mitch Snow will perform as musical guest.
"We've got a lot of things planned for this year," Brown said. "We'll have music on a stage near the fountain, regular food vendors, jewelry, craft and plant vendors. We've been real fortunate with the weather and have been able to get out and have a good time."
Vendors are still welcome and Brown encourages them to apply for a space. Applications will be available through April 15 at thomasville-nc.gov. Click on the Beautification Committee and then Spring Daze.
Heritage Days, an event which transpired simultaneously with Spring Daze during the last two years, remains a possibility for May 4. As of March 25, a schedule for Heritage Days — including customary Civil War artifacts and re-enactments — remained unconfirmed.

Staff Writer Daniel Kennedy can be reached at 888-3575, or kennedy@tvilletimes.com.